Fulton High School and Fulton Middle School's fall vocal concert proved the year is off to a harmonious start. On Monday, seventh- through 12th-grade choir participants and their families gathered at First Baptist Church for an evening of music.
"I think they're ready," said Bethany Moebes, director of the sixth- and seventh-grade choirs, before the concert began. "They've worked really hard."
The choirs have been working on a new sight-reading technique.
"That's how we learned all the songs for tonight - first through hand gestures and solfge and then adding the words," Moebes said. "It's been really successful."
Laurey Lehman, choir director for the eighth- through 12th-graders, pointed out if you've seen "Sound of Music," you've witnessed the solfge system in action, which teaches music through the use of the do-re-mi syllables.
Several of the choirs showed off their sight reading and solfge skills during a capella warm-up pieces.
"They learned this without the help of the piano," Lehman said. "They didn't just regurgitate the sounds they've heard."
The Cantorum choir sang an entire a capella song, which they learned with the new technique.
A number of Fulton High School students successfully auditioned for the Northeast All-District Choir on Sept. 17 and were recognized at the concert. These included:
Ninth- and 10th-grade Honor Choir: Alex Armstrong, tenor; Joseph Hinchie, bass; Eric Koppinger, bass; Julia Mendez, soprano; Audrey Nichols, alto; Mary Schnoebelen, alto; Emily Schweiss, alto; and Baylor Webb, tenor.
Eleventh- and 12th-grade All-District Choir: Megan Adams, soprano; Garett Ballard, tenor; Jared Eliuk, bass; Emily Habjan, alto; Jarrod McCarty, tenor; Molly Taylor, alto; and Colleen Van Norman, alto.